07 August 2004

Marine scientists conducting the first comprehensive deep-sea probes of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge stepped ashore in Bergen, Norway, this week, excited by their discovery of several suspected new species and a baffling mystery creature.
Brightly colored, about a foot long with a well-defined forepaw and tail, it looks like no known sea creature, said Olav Rune Godoe of the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen. The unknown animal was found crawling around the bottom at a depth of 6,500 feet.
Efforts to bring it to the surface failed, making it impossible to know what exactly scientists saw and photographed.